Search - Ted Hawkins :: Ted Hawkins Story: Suffer No More

A thumbnail version of the Ted Hawkins story goes something like this: Southern black man braves poverty and Mississippi's notorious Parchman Farm prison. He moves west and camps out on Venice Beach, where he sings for change, ultimately securing a major-label contract. A critically acclaimed album (1994's The Next Hundred Years is released. Months later, at age 59, he suffers a stroke and dies. Quite a tale, but that isn't the half of it. The illegitimate son of a teenage alcoholic prostitute, Hawkins claimed he was abused as a child. Substance abuse, crime (including child molestation and indecent exposure), and psychiatric institutionalization marked his adulthood. His final flourish was preceded by earlier fruitless "discoveries." Hawkins's music was as mixed up as his life. A thoroughly commanding vocalist, he was stylistically all over the map, as Suffer No More indicates. The 20-song compilation opens with two long-lost soul sides from 1966. By the early '70s, he'd developed into a singer/songwriter. Best (if insufficiently) characterized as a soul-folk singer, Hawkins had an unlikely taste for hardcore honky-tonk. Highlights here include a version of the Johnny Horton chestnut "North to Alaska" and an obscure cheatin'-'n'-drinkin' tune called "Happy Hour." --Steven Stolder